BY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS
If I when my wife is sleeping and the baby and Kathleen are sleeping and the sun is a flame-white disc in silken mists above shining trees,— if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself: “I am lonely, lonely. I was born to be lonely, I am best so!” If I admire my arms, my face, my shoulders, flanks, buttocks against the yellow drawn shades,—
Who shall say I am not the happy genius of my household? I choose this painting because I think Williams likes to envision himself as a beautiful ballerina during this dance. Analysis:Danse Russe, French for "Russian Dance," takes place in the early dawn of day, when the sun is a "flame-white disk / in silken mists / above shining trees." The speaker, presumably Williams himself, wakes up early while his wife, child, and nanny still sleep. At this point, the poems takes an unusual turn, as Williams begins a naked dance before his mirror, sparking a peculiar interplay between self-consciousness and confidence. On one hand, Williams feels confident enough to dance naked before a mirror and "admire" his own body. On the other hand, he describes this dance as "grotesque" and sings to himself about loneliness, perhaps characterizing the dance as a reminder of his removal from life. The poem ends on a positive note, with Williams declaring that nobody can say he is "not the happy genius of his household." After initially describing the dance as grotesque, he's overcome his anxieties and found genius in his existence. While it's more than likely Williams simply describes a private dance routine he occasionally performs in his bathroom, his choice to share such an experience with the public suggests he thinks one can find a unique confidence in silliness. Who needs business success, logical reasoning, or eloquent speeches to be genius? Just dance in front of the mirror naked! His colloquial diction and playful syntax do carry some larger meaning. Biography:Williams Carlos Williams was a Puerto-Rican American doctor of forty years in New Jersey by day; by night, he wrote poetry. The son of a painter, Williams focused largely on math and science as a child- writing got in the way of equations. Despite having no regard for arts or literature as a child, in late high school, he fell in love with it. Williams became one of the most successful writers of his time, publishing poems, plays, and short stories. His poetry is most closely associated with modernism and imagism, an American movement which focused on describing images in precise, vivid detail. Many of his poems also have some political themes; he called himself a "socialist," having most of his dealings with injured working class people in blue-color New Jersey. Some of his most memorable collections include Paterson, Spring and All, Pictures from Breughel and Other Poems (the last was awarded the Pulitzer Prize).
Danse Russe
BY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMSIf I when my wife is sleeping
and the baby and Kathleen are sleeping and the sun is a flame-white disc in silken mists above shining trees,— if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself: “I am lonely, lonely. I was born to be lonely, I am best so!” If I admire my arms, my face, my shoulders, flanks, buttocks against the yellow drawn shades,—
Who shall say I am not the happy genius of my household?
Analysis:Danse Russe, French for "Russian Dance," takes place in the early dawn of day, when the sun is a "flame-white disk / in silken mists / above shining trees." The speaker, presumably Williams himself, wakes up early while his wife, child, and nanny still sleep. At this point, the poems takes an unusual turn, as Williams begins a naked dance before his mirror, sparking a peculiar interplay between self-consciousness and confidence. On one hand, Williams feels confident enough to dance naked before a mirror and "admire" his own body. On the other hand, he describes this dance as "grotesque" and sings to himself about loneliness, perhaps characterizing the dance as a reminder of his removal from life. The poem ends on a positive note, with Williams declaring that nobody can say he is "not the happy genius of his household." After initially describing the dance as grotesque, he's overcome his anxieties and found genius in his existence.
While it's more than likely Williams simply describes a private dance routine he occasionally performs in his bathroom, his choice to share such an experience with the public suggests he thinks one can find a unique confidence in silliness. Who needs business success, logical reasoning, or eloquent speeches to be genius? Just dance in front of the mirror naked! His colloquial diction and playful syntax do carry some larger meaning.
Biography:Williams Carlos Williams was a Puerto-Rican American doctor of forty years in New Jersey by day; by night, he wrote poetry. The son of a painter, Williams focused largely on math and science as a child- writing got in the way of equations. Despite having no regard for arts or literature as a child, in late high school, he fell in love with it. Williams became one of the most successful writers of his time, publishing poems, plays, and short stories. His poetry is most closely associated with modernism and imagism, an American movement which focused on describing images in precise, vivid detail. Many of his poems also have some political themes; he called himself a "socialist," having most of his dealings with injured working class people in blue-color New Jersey. Some of his most memorable collections include Paterson, Spring and All, Pictures from Breughel and Other Poems (the last was awarded the Pulitzer Prize).